Bitdefender VPN Logging Policy
As mentioned in their Terms and Condition, they do collect some of the user data like cookies. Since they are offering 200MB of free data every day, they must be able to access the bandwidth used by the user but it cant see the website you are visiting and the contents of your online traffic.
Hotspot Shield is having one of the suspicious logging policies in the VPN services. For instance, in August 2017, Hotspot Shield is accused of spying their users data and selling it to the advertisers. Having this negative history on the back, it is maintaining the Bitdefender VPN. So, no one can give guarantee that it wont store any logs.
Is Bitdefender The Top Protection For Windows/mac
Bitdefender is a strong contender for best antivirus in 2021. Bitdefenders advanced malware engine detected every piece of malware in my testing including newer and advanced threats like cryptojackers, rootkits, and ransomware. Bitdefenders web protection also caught most of the phishing sites I tried visiting outperforming both the majority of competitors and the most popular browsers, including Chrome and Firefox.
Bitdefender has almost every cybersecurity protection you can think of from basic things like Wi-Fi protection, a secure browser, and a VPN to more advanced things like parental controls, ransomware remediation, and webcam and microphone protection.
And even though Bitdefender has more features than almost any other brand, its still very easy to use even non-tech-savvy users will find it easy to adjust all of the settings and customize protection levels to meet their needs.
While I like most of Bitdefenders features, I do have a couple of complaints. I wish that Bitdefender would add a few more security features to its password manager, and the free VPN bundled with the software is way too limited. Also, the mobile app for iOS could use some improvement.
However, Bitdefender is more affordable than most other premium antiviruses , even for users that add a VPN subscription to their package and Bitdefenders premium VPN is pretty good.
Is there a free version of Bitdefender?
Bitdefender VPN Price: How Much Is It And Is There A Bitdefender Free Trial
At $6.99 per month on a rolling plan, Bitdefender Premium VPN is a surprisingly cheap VPN, especially considering that the market leaders often charge over $12 a month on similar plans.
However, there are more savings to be had for anyone willing to pay for a years subscription in advance. This is billed as a one-off payment of $29.99 for the first year and $49.99 in subsequent years.
Thats much less expensive than VPN providers such as ExpressVPN and NordVPN, and comparable to the best bargain provider Surfshark. Payment options include credit card, PayPal, bank transfer, check, and even cash .
If youre looking to try before you buy then youll be glad to know that a seven-day free trial is available to anyone that signs up for a Bitdefender Central account. Youll also benefit from a 30-day money-back guarantee if you do sign up for the service but later decide its not for you.
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Allows Tor But Has Limited Tunneling Protocols And Limited Kill Switch Feature
A lot of VPN providers today use different tunneling protocols. Each protocol is a lot better at doing one thing over another; some favor speed over security and vice versa.
Allowing their users to switch between different protocols provides flexibility that caters to different types of usage. The same cannot be said for this VPN.
The VPN provider only uses two protocols. This information comes straight from their second level of customer support:
- OpenVPN for Windows and Android.;
- HydraVPN for iOs and macOS.;
Thats it. They only have two protocols for encryption available. Granted, OpenVPN is very secure unlike other protocols such as PPTP but having only OpenVPN limits your flexibility.
There is no option to change or switch protocols. You are simply left to rely on their encryption. In the event that it fails, you have no other choice but to be vulnerable.
Limited Kill Switch
There is a kill switch feature in the VPN but its quite limited to a few of its devices. A kill switch is essential if youre trying to protect your privacy, it basically cancels your internet connection if the VPN cuts out thus protecting you from exposing your public IP address.
I asked customer support and all they had to say was you can always connect and disconnect from the VPN.
I dug around and found that there is a kill switch in their Windows and Mac versions.
Is Bitdefender Right For You Or Your Business
All in all, if youre after a simple and cheap VPN for personal use, Bitdefender is a decent pick. Small businesses arent going to like that this VPN provider doesnt offer more robust featuresspecifically, especially a dedicated IP address.
Sure, the overall company offers great cybersecurity tools, but that doesnt mean you need to go with their VPN.
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Bitdefender 2021: Installation And Support
Loading Bitdefender on a fresh system starts with creating an account at Bitdefender Central, then downloading the nearly-500MB installer file.
As the program installs itself, it runs a quick device assessment and lets you run a Quick Scan. It took us 13 minutes to get and install Bitdefender Total Security 2021, roughly twice as long as the previous version took.
Bitdefender’s paid programs include full 24/7 tech support, and you can call, email or use the company’s chat window. With Bitdefender’s Premium Security suite, you get priority support. ;The Bitdefender website has a slew of FAQs, self-service material and instructional videos.
Bitdefender Total Security 2021 Sign
The sign-up process is one of the early ways to measure a software company, especially in the antivirus realm. Many AV software companies have notably shady businesses practices when it comes to selling their AV tools.
Weve seen a fair number of tactics that are woefully consumer-unfriendly, such as sneaking in addon services and hiding the fact that the service is subscription-based. From experience, we like to take a look at how the company handles purchasing and signup to get a good feel for its overall trustworthiness.
For a software company to pass the smell test here, it needs to avoid as much as possible all of the following business practices:
- Attempting to sell a large number of addon services at checkout
- Making users click through several pages of additional addon services before getting to the final checkout page
- Automatically selecting addon services prior to checkout
- Automatically signing up customers for automatic subscription renewal, or making it difficult to deselect auto renewal before purchasing
Bitdefender doesnt do a terrible job on this angle, but its far from the best weve seen. On the initial sign-up page, Bitdefender places you automatically at the cheapest-possible service package for Total Security: One year and up to 5 devices:
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How Can I Contact Bitdefender
One of the advantages of having a large company like Bitdefender is that you get extensive customer support. This is one of the few providers that included the option to make a call and chat exclusively with the customer support team.
Apart from that option, you can send an email or use the live chat feature. If you want to hear more opinions about your question or problem, you can go to the forum and ask there. We must admit that this is truly extensive customer support, at least when it comes to contact methods.
We tested live chat and waited about 4 minutes to get a response, which is, believe it or not, very slow. VPN providers such as NordVPN and ExpressVPN usually take less than 15 seconds to respond, as a reference.
For a more direct approach, you can always make a call and fix your problems in a matter of minutes. In some countries, they even offer 24/7 service but only in a few of them.
Bitdefender VPN Review Fast Secure And Affordable
Since its inception in 2001, Bitdefender has amassed more than half a billion users. The Romanian giant is one of the biggest names in cybersecurity, mostly thanks to its antivirus. Its VPN, though, was often dismissed as Hotspot Shields little brother and only used as a free add-on to premium antivirus packages. Yet, it gradually evolved into a standalone service worthy of the brand.
In spite of some bad press, Bitdefenders VPN has a lot of things going for it. Excellent speed, solid security, low price, just to name a few. Our tests revealed anything but a white-label Hotspot Shield. We saw a fully-fledged VPN in its own right. It even had a lot of surprising tricks under the hood.
Learn all about this up-and-coming premium service in our Bitdefender VPN review.
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User Reviews For Bitdefender VPN
I’ve been using Bitdefender forever and it’s simply the best. The above article by Rob Mardisalu was very very good, except for the customer support segment on BD. I’ve had a few occasions over many years to speak with BD support and 95% of the time, I spoke to a live customer support agent within 5 minutes, no shit. I have never tried the online support, but I agree that the email support sucks. But why email when you can speak live in 5 minutes? That’s why I prefer speaking with BD on the phone. Even if it’s just to ask a question, like the other day, to ask about the new 2020 version of BD. I was speaking to an agent within 3 minutes.
Bill 5/10April 26, 2019
Multiple issues
So far it’s been fairly useless as a VPN since it always fails to connect when using a public hotspot. It works at home on my secure network and fails pretty well everywhere else.
Another problem, iCloud SMTP servers don’t like it and shut down my outgoing email for hours until iCloud’s lockout drops.
Rated #48 out of 78 VPNs
Bitdefender VPN Pros:
Performance And Speed Test
Though the VPN doesnt have any key features, it doesnt disappoint you with the performance and speed. On average, the VPN takes around 40 seconds to connect which is low when compared to other paid VPN services.
In a 16 Mbps WiFi connection, Bitdefender VPN clocks around 12.28 Mbps download speed, 10.97 Mbps upload speed, and ping time is 166 milliseconds on an Automatic Server.
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The Applications And Ease Of Use
Being a leading provider, ExpressVPN offers a huge range of devices with apps that are easy to download and install.
Devices supported by apps include Windows PC, macOS, and Linux. Mobile devices and tablets running iOS and Android are also covered.
If you want to use the VPN on a device that is not covered by a standalone app, the provider offers manual installation on a compatible router. This means any device that connects to the internet through the router is protected. This includes such as gaming consoles and SmartTVs.
Up to five simultaneous connections can be made at the same time, so it is perfect for families.
While Bitdefender offers the Virtual Private Network as an add-on, it does have support for several devices.
However, the provider only covers the standard range of devices, such as Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.
Essentially, this means you can use it on computers, laptops, mobile phones, and tablets using standalone apps.
It does not offer support for installation on routers, so it is not going to work on PlayStation, Xbox, SmartTVs, or similar devices.
The number of simultaneous connections depends on the plan, with the maximum being 10.
In this first round of our comparison between ExpressVPN and Bitdefender, the former premium provider wins as it covers numerous devices, including routers.
Bitdefender Plans And Pricing
Bitdefender offers 3 annual plans but only its premium Total Security;plan;works across all operating systems. All of the plans include a limited VPN, but Bitdefenders premium VPN is available at checkout, and it costs less than most competing standalone VPNs.
Bitdefenders free plan is one of the better free plans on the market, although it does have a lot of limitations . All of Bitdefenders paid plans include a risk-free money-back guarantee for 30 days.
Bitdefender Free Good Free Plan
*Not available in some countries*
Bitdefender does offer a free version of its app for Windows, macOS, and Android. While it lacks important protections like ransomware protection, a firewall, and a secure web browser, the free version includes:
- Antivirus scanning.
- Real-time protection .
- Web protection .
Bitdefender;Antivirus Free Edition;uses the same advanced anti-malware engine as the premium version which earned Bitdefender a spot on our best free;Windows antiviruses of 2021.
While Bitdefenders free version lacks a lot of the protections that make Bitdefenders premium plans so good, I still think Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition is a decent choice for Windows users who are only looking for malware scanning. Plus, unlike most competitors, Bitdefenders free Windows antivirus also has real-time malware protection.
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android.
- System tune-up tools.
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Virus Scanning And Removal
Considering how aggressive Bitdefenders real-time monitor is, its somewhat unlikely that a virus will actually make it onto your system with the AV tool installed. Still, on the off chance that the real-time monitor fails, youll need effective virus removal. Total Securitys AV scanning tool is among its primary features and one that has also been awarded by AV-Comparatives in the past. Our question going in, of course, is whether its effective in a real-world test from a consumer perspective.
The scanning tool is designed to run in the background and to;have as minimal an impact on your system as possible. Youll also find a few scanning options that are fairly industry-standard at this point: Quick Scan, Full Scan, Scheduled Scan, and Custom Scan.
We looked into what kind of impact the scanning tool has on your system while running each scan and whether it was effective at picking up both real and test viruses.
Test #1: System impact
I ran the system impact tests on a clean system. Each test looked at CPU usage, memory usage, scan time, and the total number of scanned items. Note that scanning on an infected system might produce different results, and scanning on a lower-powered system will likely also produce different results.
| No Scan | |
| 3427 | 1497974 |
Total Securitys results looked good on this test. Each scan was fast, and even the full system scan, which took around 17 minutes, was comparatively fast.
Test #2: Sample viruses
Results:
Test #2: Live virus samples
Lacks Information In Key Aspects
Bitdefender VPN claims in broad words but fails to describe the feature it provides in detail. Bitdefender VPN website and their FAQs explain what the product offers but there is a list of important aspects that they cannot answer, these include;
Servers that were blocked by Netflix
- Australia
- Hong Kong
- United States
Though Bitdefender VPN is in the category of VPNs that unblock Netflix, it failed to impress us as its United States server was blocked, and Netflix US has the biggest library. This means that you can miss out on your favorite show if it is not streamed on the server that is available with Bitdefender Netflix compatible servers.
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Openvpn And Hydravpn Protocols
The great thing about Bitdefender VPN is that it offers two security protocols. Youll notice the HydraVPN protocol, and if it sounds familiar, thats because Hotspot Shield patented it.
HydraVPN is essentially aimed at increasing performance, bringing better speeds and reliable connections. In theory, it should be much better than OpenVPN, as many other proprietary protocols promise.
OpenVPN is also here, and for us, its still the best security protocol alongside WireGuard. This protocol combines supreme security with decent speeds, giving you a perfect balance of performance and safety.
The main trick, though, is that both of these protocols are available on different platforms. While OpenVPN is available for Windows and Android, HydraVPN is here for iOS and Mac. And the worst thing is that you cant switch them. Its either one or another, depending on your platform.
Where Are Bitdefenders Main Headquarters
Bitdefender has headquarters in the US and UK as well, but its main headquarters is in Bucharest, Romania. For those of you particularly worried about anonymity, this is excellent news as Romania is outside the 5, 9, and 14-Eyes Alliance. Still, they process their data through Aura, which a US company and they are definitely within the Alliance. The 5, 9, and 14-Eyes Alliance is a group of countries that exchange information, that they gather through mass surveillance of our online activities. You can learn more about the Alliance in this article.
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How Good Are The Bitdefender VPN Apps
Bitdefender Premium VPN provides a familiar interface, one which is very similar to ExpressVPN, and it covers the essentials of what is needed from the software. This includes a big blue Connect button and the name of the country where your current server is located, which when clicked on will present you with a list of other server locations .
On the whole, it worked as expected, with connection times between 3 to 4 seconds. We particularly like that you can change the server location youre connected to without having to disconnect from your current one. There are also desktop notifications to tell you when you are and arent protected, and theres a Dark Mode.
The client also sports an efficient kill switch, which does a good job of blocking internet traffic and alerting the user. This feature continued to function despite the tricks we used to close the VPN connection.
A form of split tunnelling is also included, although this only whitelists certain websites, not apps. This could potentially be useful in some cases, but considering that Bitdefender VPN is actually quite capable as a torrenting VPN, with P2P allowed on all servers, a per-app split tunnelling system would be most welcome.